(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a data conversion apparatus used for TV broadcasting systems, and more specifically to a data conversion apparatus for converting HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) documents into information of a format suitable for the TV broadcasting systems.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, the Internet has become a very popular system for obtaining or exchanging information. A great number of users view information stored in each site called home page on the WWW (World Wide Web). In doing so, users make interactive operations on the home pages using a keyboard or a mouse. In particular, users can move a pointer using a keyboard or mouse to select "hot spots," which results in a jump to another screen. One example of such interactive operation techniques is Netscape Navigator developed by Netscape Communications Corporation.
Conventional interactive operation techniques have been created on the assumption that a pointing device, such as a keyboard or mouse, which are peripheral devices of computers, is used to input instructions, not a remote controller of a TV set. That means, it is difficult to use such remote controllers for the interactive operations required on the home pages on the WWW in the Internet.